Pop Culture Yearbook

What would you do if our show was out of tune? Would you stand up and turn us off? We're talking about The Wonder Years this week, a show that was extremely important to us. We were the exact same age and at the same point in life as the main characters, Kevin, Winnie, and Paul. It was our original water cooler show in middle school, especially as we discussed the relationship between Fred Savage's Kevin and Danica McKellar's Winnie. But how does it hold up and how do we view it now as adults?

Our drafts are back! This week we draft the best Coming of Age shows and movies. It's a broad subject with many options. Listen to hear if anything got heated or controversial!

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1990 was a seminal year for your hosts at PCY. The memories run deep. Go back in time as we discuss moving, the transition from middle to high school, and carefree summers.

As far as pop culture content, the options felt endless. In TV, Seinfeld began, Cheers was riding high, ABC sitcoms were hanging in there, and Saturday Night Live had maybe its best cast ever.

In music, we were transitioning from cassettes to CDs, still loving pop, but also finding more "mature" styles. MC Hammer and C+C Music Factory were huge, but we also loved The Black Crowes, Sinead O'Connor, INXS, and the Gear Daddies.

Finally, how can you top movies like Goodfellas, House Party, Pretty Woman, and The Hunt for Red October. It was a HUGE year. Listen now!

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It's time to wrap up Milestone Month, and we have a doozy of a movie for the occasion. Dave is still with us, and this film had a big impact on him and Brad. The movie is the 1996 thriller Fear starring a young Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon. Cringy, campy, and a little crazy, this movie was a wild time ripe for discussion.

We close things out with another draft. This time anything the cast members have been in is up the picking. So it is heavy on Wahlberg and Witherspoon, but don't forget about Alyssa Milano, William Peterson, and Amy Brenneman.

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Giff’s choice, Road House, is our topic for part 3 of 1989. Coming in just before the decade ended, this was one of the most ‘80’s of all ‘80’s movies. Learn about great kill scenes, professional coolers, and monster trucks for everyday use. Road House is ludicrous and it never slows down.  It is a time capsule of ‘80’s excess and toxic masculinity. And we break it all down for you. 

We finish with our favorite movies of the year. Like the music choices, we couldn’t stick to five. 1989 was a monster year for movies, especially for impressionable youngsters who wanted to take in everything they could. We rattle off a list that is sure to contain 1-2 of your own favorites. And just remember, if a polar bear happens to fall on you, the pain don’t hurt!

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We got a live one here! Our second installment of 1989 focuses on one of the biggest movies of the ‘80’s: Batman. This movie and the anticipation for it took the nation by storm and captured the imagination of young Brad. The hosts remember when they first saw Batman and talk about how it holds up today in a sea of new superhero movie options. 

A movie this big deserves a big soundtrack too. Not many artists in the ‘80’s were bigger than Prince, and since we’re from Minnesota we are contractually obligated to discuss him whenever it’s relevant. How does the soundtrack sound today? Is there a reason we kind of forgot about it? After answering those questions, we discuss our favorite soundtracks from other movies. Don’t dance with the devil. Just listen to this episode with us by the pale moonlight.

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We're gonna win Twins! They actually did! Believe it or not, there was once a Minnesota sports team that didn't cause utter and complete disappointment. We take a detour from the traditional pop culture topics this week to remember this little team who went from worst to first and won the greatest World Series ever played.

From Puck to Mack to Chili to Hrbie to Blackjack to Big Train, we don't miss a thing. Seriously, in our longest episode ever, we hit all the important details from the offseason moves to Gene Larkin's walk off hit. It's a classic episode honoring a classic team. Play ball!

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It's almost here! Season 4 of Pop Culture Yearbook is coming in March. Join us this week as we share what we're looking forward to in 2024. How many trips can Pete pack into a few months? We'll also give you a preview of what's to come on the show. We've got some action-packed episodes coming your way!

In the next three months, we'll cover 1990, 2004, and 1983. The menu includes The Wonder Years, Saturday Night Live, Newhart, Green Day's American Idiot, Napoleon Dynamite, Dodgeball, Risky Business, Return of the Jedi, Huey Lewis and the News' Sports album, and much much more. Get ready for our best year yet!

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We have a special guest again this week! Giff brings his wife, Courtney, into the fold to discuss her choice: Billy Madison. We are all big fans of this movie, so her choice was definitely appreciated by the hosts. We dig deep into the... plot??? Well the plot certainly isn't the strongest part of the movie, but there are lines upon lines that we all quote on a daily basis.

In addition to keeping up with us quote for quote, Courtney also shares her other pop culture influences through the years. At the end of the episode, we share some of the wives' favorite funny movies of all-time. When you finish listening, you'll want to say, "Jackpot!"

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Season 2 premiere! We are devoting February to the Ladies. Our wives picked the topics for us, and one will even make a special appearance! In this episode we preview their choices and talk about some of the women in pop culture we have loved over the years. In addition we welcome our first ever live guest, Brad's sister Danaca, to the show! She chose the classic and tragically short-lived show Freaks and Geeks for our first discussion of our second season. Enjoy!

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We're kicking off 2020 with another supersized episode. 2020 was the year of the pandemic, but there were many good things that came out of it. Without the shutdowns, we may never have been blessed with Taylor Swift's Folklore album. So for our first episode of the month, we focus on all things Taylor Swift, with an emphasis on Folklore.

While Brad is a big fan, Pete and Giff are novices, so we recruited some reinforcements. We have Leah from the awesome She Will Rock You podcast. She is a Swiftie from all the way back and her knowledge makes this a can't miss episode! So whatever you have going on, Shake it Off and listen to us Speak Now about the great Taylor Swift.

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The second episode of 2009 sees the PCY gang breaking out of their general routine. While we are obviously pop culture fans first and foremost, we also love all the sports. Growing up in Minnesota, we have been huge fans of the Vikings all our lives. In part 2 we want to share the agony and (near) ecstasy we have experienced over and over because of this unfortunate passion. 2009 was the year public enemy #1 Brett Favre joined forces with the purple and led one of the most memorable seasons in the franchise’s long and sordid history. Because of the presence of Fav-ruh and about a million other reasons, this season was ripe for discussion. 

But there is so much more to the history of the Vikings. We don’t only cover 2009. We share our personal Vikings’ Mount Rushmores and rank the teams from our lifetimes that coulda, shoulda, woulda won that elusive Super Bowl. Tears will be shed, anger will be released, and some joy will be had, just never the ultimate joy a sports fan longs for. This is the tragic tale of a Minnesota sports fan. (But the sound is better! So we got that going for us...which is nice.)

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Oh, hi everyone! We cap off 2009 with Dave’s final choice, The Room. This cult classic film is near and dear to all our hearts and has been for about 10 years now. From midnight showings to friendly get togethers, the movie has taken on a life of its own in our group. The so bad it’s good masterpiece is a one of a kind film by a one of a kind filmmaker. And yes, we have even met Tommy Wiseau in person. You don’t have to have seen the movie to enjoy this episode, but you will probably want to get a group together to watch soon after listening. Good thinking!

We then wrap up our look back at 2009 by discussing other guilty pleasures / love to hate them movies and shows. And as always, we give a serious look at our top movies of 2009. It was quality over quantity for most of us when it came to our selections.

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Growing up in the 80's meant you loved video games. Atari and other game systems, along with the pull to the arcade, were all the rage. In 1985 Nintendo came along and changed the game. Pete's choice for this episode is a topic near and dear to us. The NES will always be our favorite game system. In fact, Brad still has his original system and games and anytime we play it is guaranteed to be a good time.

We specifically focused much of our "homework" here to the original Super Mario Bros. game. Can we still save the Princess? To warp or not to warp? What levels are the hardest? We get into it all. We also share our favorite NES games of all time. So blow on your cartridge and play along with us.

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We're back! For one week we're off hiatus to review the past year. In this episode, you'll get our best memories from the year, as well as all the music, TV, movies, and sports you could want. Taylor Swift! Foo Fighters! Ted Lasso! Better Call Saul! Oppenheimer! Super Mario Bros! They're all in here...and more!!

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"When you make love, do you look in your mirror?" It's an age-old question. But it's just one of the many topics addressed in Def Leppard's seminal album Hysteria. Giff couldn't get enough of this classic in 1987, and he still can't now. Does it hold up for Brad and Pete? What about the few songs that weren't hits? How does it compare to Pyromania? Turns out there is a lot to say still today.

Not only do we answer those questions, but we even veer off at the end of the episode to finish our tour of 1987 with our favorite TV of the year. As 11 year-olds, there was plenty we were watching. Turn this one up now. It's time for you to start getting it, really getting it. Are you getting it???

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In 1995, Chris Isaak, of “Wicked Game” fame, put out his 5th studio album, Forever Blue. While working at the Corner Store one day Brad heard the first single and instantly became a fan. Soon after, Pete was also on board, and Isaak became a staple in their music rotation for years to come. Giff may not have heard the album until recently, but he also discovered the same magic the other hosts did. All three had a fantastic time breaking down this breakup album from beginning to end. 

Brad also shares his memories of the year, some of which are related to Chris Isaak, but obviously not all. After they break down the music, your hosts also discuss their favorite concert going experiences and live performers. Finally they share their favorite underappreciated musical artists to cap off a great episode. Baby, we did NOT do a bad bad thing. Enjoy!

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In "Oh, Me" Kurt Cobain asks, "Would you like to hear my voice...sprinkled with emotion?" Yes, we definitely would Kurt. And we'd love to talk about it. Speaking of emotional, 1994 is the year Pete and Brad graduated from high school. More emotional yet, they welcome fellow 94 grad and very special guest The Giff into the fold for this first of a four part MEGAepisode! Learn about their last days in high school and their thoughts on the brilliant, and unfortunately, final Nirvana album: MTV Unplugged in New York. Kurt left it all on the table with that performance. We try to do the same here. So listen to this episode and sprinkle yourself with some emotion.

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We love romcoms here, and apparently ones that have punctuation (see below) in their titles are higher on the list. This time we are discussing Giff's choice of Crazy, Stupid, Love. This wonderful film has a big cast starring Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei and more! How does one movie satisfy all these actors and storylines? Listen to find out.

Then stick around for our lists of Top 5 Romantic Comedies. Is this one prestigious enough to make the cut? How about Love, Actually? Can anything beat When Harry Met Sally...? This episode is a little crazy and a little stupid, but you're sure to love it!

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We are looking back at one of our earliest episodes this week. In remembrance of Matthew Perry, here is our show on Friends.

Our 1994 look back continues with three friends discussing...Friends. This was Giff's choice as the show's beginning coincided with the beginning of his (and Pete's and Brad's) college years.  Hear about Ross's transformation from whiner to winner. In fact, he's probably the highlight of the show by the end of the run. What redemption for this thrice-divorced dinosaur lover. But that's only one of the topics we delve into. We also discuss favorite episodes, special guests, recurring characters, and more. We'll be there for you with this nostalgic look back at a beloved sitcom.

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We're shutting down another year at PCY. Capping off our 2023 and our month of 1998 is the classic comedy There's Something About Mary. Directed by the Farrelly Brothers and starring Ben Stiller, Cameron Diaz, Matt Damon, Chris Elliot, and more this film was a juggernaut that took the country by storm. We break down every hilarious moment for you.

For our draft we considered Cameron Diaz, but did you know realize she basically retired from acting almost 10 years ago? We discuss that and then draft the best of Ben Stiller instead. His IMDB page is overwhelming. Listen to hear what we liked best.

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